LorenS

I have read the FSM for changing out the center bearing on my 2-piece driveshaft, and looked in the Parts List in the Articles section (which is for 2001/2002). Part # listed is: 04773014. When I go to Rock Auto that part number isn't listed for 2001 models, just 2002 models. For both years, they list options with two different diameters (even when I've selected Diesel and Auto, etc.) 1.5748" and 1.3780". Is there a good way to determine which I need without removing the clamp for the rubber boot and putting calipers on the shaft? EDIT: The difference is in the Wheelbase. If you have a 138" wheelbase (Quadcab, shortbed), you get the 1.3780" bearing. If you have 154" wheelbase (Quadcab, longbed) you get the 1.5748" bearing. Of course neither RockAuto nor other parts retailers care to mention that difference - THANK YOU @Mopar1973Man and your staff for compiling and sharing the parts lists, etc., to aid the rest of the community.

There's certainly good information in that thread, but still no photos of where you all mounted your ballasts, the brain box, etc. I'll figure it out one of these sunny, crisp autumn Saturdays, I hope. And I'll post pics ;)

I have no idea, but thanks for sharing their name! I'd never heard of them.

Last week I bought a HID kit; couldn't justify the full projector upgrade at this time. Saturday I popped the hood to plan my installation and can't figure out which is the least evil of the few mounting options I see available. I like the idea in Me78569's article to mount the brain on the passenger side, but still could use some advice on where to mount everything. I do not wish to reinvent a wheel and learn lessons the hard way if I can learn from someone else's experience! Could one of you with such a system take some photos of how you mounted the brain box, ballasts, etc. and post them here? Or send a link to a previous thread. I did a search but may have missed something. Many thanks!

Good day, Me78569 I picked up a Morimoto HID kit this week and when I opened the hood this afternoon to plan my install, I couldn't find a good spot to mount everything within reach. The control box I have considered attaching to the battery tray. Have the ballasts held up being close to the radiator heat? Do you have recommendation on what route to take with the wiring to the other side? I like the idea of putting the controller on the passenger side, as you mentioned. Any assistance or photos would be much appreciated! Since this article is nearly 4 years old I would assume you have worked out any problems by now. Thanks in advance, Loren

Mike, there are a bunch of options on that page. I saw your review says 35W ballast, but it looks like there are 3 options just for those! Then, was there a "shroud" you had to choose for an additional $45? Too many options!

Wow, that is a wide swing. OBDLink says mine closes between 190 and 195.

I've put ~25,000 miles on my Stant XACTstat 49212. I wanted to try a 200 degree thermostat so bought one for a later-model Ram. $14 on Amazon. Considering my truck is an automatic, it may have been a poor choice for someone who tows heavy (transmission is cooled by the engine coolant). I run fairly light. If I was to hook onto a man-sized load, I'd swap the thermostat to a 180 just to help cool the transmission more. The XACTstat I have DOES have a wide swing, noticable on the gauge and with my OBDLink I can see it goes to nearly 210 sometimes - but not all the time, and conveniently, not when it's hot outside! It goes to maybe 206 when it's hot out before it cycles open again. These observations are from several hundred mile trips running to Oklahoma or Minnesota from Kansas City in all types of weather.

My grease hose has an air pocket.

I know the grease gun hose is looked upon as being a poor choice, but a 2' long hose full of air, with the orifice "snubber" has protected my EV2 for over 20k miles. Most homes deal with real water hammer with copper pipe stubs - not much flex in that, either.

Very good article! On my phone, the photos are gone. Any chance they can be reincorporated? May help my understanding of the material.

Thanks, Dripley. I hope it's not a crossover tube, I changed all the o-rings this winter when I changed the injectors. Glad no one so far has said "your VP44 is about to die"!

I have searched the prior posts and articles and have not found anything that reflects the situation I have - if one exists, please send me the link! When I start the truck in the morning, the engine stumbles a bit and acts like it's going to die. It then idles and runs "smoothly". This problem happens only if the truck has sat for at least 10 hours, and not every time. On Monday it DID die, and didn't want to restart at all! I don't believe I drove the truck at all on Sunday, so it sat a LONG time before the restart. I smelled no unburnt fuel in the exhaust after a combined cranking time of 15 seconds, I had my normal 12 PSI of lift pump pressure before cranking (measured at the VP44 inlet). I disconnected the VP44 wiring to look for issues and found nothing. Reinstalled and the truck fired up after a couple seconds of cranking it lit off. Clearly that could just be a coincidence, and if I'd just kept cranking a few more seconds instead of disconnecting the electrical it would start. No sign of a FUEL leak anywhere, even back of the block. No idea if it's sucking air somewhere, or if that is even a potential problem at startup. My injectors are stock rebuilds, maybe 15k miles on them. My EGTs at highway speed seem higher than before the stumble started, but it's also gotten a lot hotter and I dropped my tire pressures around the same time. I do not have a chip of any kind. Fuel mileage is about the same as always, hard to judge as I've towed more recently. 16' utility trailer with some deck lumber, nothing heavy like a skid steer, etc. My OBDLink shows the same type of data as usual, little higher IAT as it's summer. I buy my fuel at the same places as usual. Any trouble-shooting advice is appreciated!

Not sure if this is the right place to post this since it applies to all generations of trucks, so please let me know if I should post elsewhere. Last night I installed my new ISSPRO EV2 pyrometer, right beside my fuel pressure gauge. Seemingly everything works correctly EXCEPT the actual reading of EGT! When I turn on the ignition switch the red light comes on and the gauge needle drops to zero, then pops back up to where it was before; when I turn on headlights, the lights come on and dim the same as my other ISSPRO EV2 gauge. The wiring colors match up with the directions. I marked the thermocouple such that it should be in the middle of the exhaust, pre-turbo. I have double and triple checked connections, including under the hood. I have not yet disconnected the wiring from the gauge to ensure there is continuity through the thermocouple - I know there will be resistance, but it shouldn't be infinite. Any other ideas? It's 70 degrees here today, and in several miles of driving including hills of the non-bicycle friendly variety, the gauge didn't move. EDIT: I should've checked my connections triple and quadruple times; the solution was to wire as explicitly directed and shown in the instructions... Works like a champ, now!

Rostra 50-1171 and ATSG manual have been ordered. Thanks for the help.

@DynamicI purchased the following, please let me know what I'm missing! Keep in mind my truck is essentially stock, and in 6 months I've driven 14,000 miles, maybe 80 miles with a trailer hauling a small tractor (Kubota B2150). Sonnax 22771A-02K PR Valve: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DP5YWMY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Sonnax Billet Accumulator Piston 22841-04K: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BYG7G9M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Sonnax Intermediate Servo Cover Plate 22827-01 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C7YSIC4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Borg Warner Solenoid 22958: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009X9KGIU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Sonnax 22771-09 Manual Valve: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DP5YUL2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you, everyone, for the recommendations.

I plan to drop the pan on my transmission in the next few weeks for filter change and band adjustment. Are there any upgrades that I should install while in there? No $600 valve bodies! I have planned on adding the Sonnax valve to the valve body that allows flow to the converter while in Park. Stock truck.

How much of the instrument cluster is really needed? Could it physically fit in a small box tucked under the dash? Running a manual transmission I would've thought this would not be a difficult swap; seems I would've thought wrong! I miss my '77 C20.

I didn't take my 500 mile trip today, but did do maybe 300, 100 with a small Kubota on my 16' trailer. Got around 15 MPG, so not bad, not great. I need my long trip that I've taken numerous times!

I'm sure of no external leaks. If a crossover tube is leaking, it can't imagine it's much because the engine runs very smoothly. I don't have boost or EGT gauges, can say exhaust is clean.

Yep, up to temp.

Yes, stock injectors.

I agree the ones I took out were junk, but it's hard to not be aggravated when I got better mileage before the switch. I may reset the valves this weekend to something looser and see if that helps. I went a loose .008/.018, tight .009/.019. I tried to be as consistent as absolutely possible. Once set I checked them all again before reinstalling valve cover. For a stock truck, does DAP have a recommended injector? Reliability and fuel economy are my main concerns. Whatever HP (235 factory rating) I have now suits me fine - of course I wouldn't say no to a little more if the penalty was small! Don't you guys set your Quad things to advance the injection to make more power? Isn't that what weaker injectors do, just with a less than optimal fuel atomization? My console used to tell me I was getting 18.5 MPG or so, and I was at 17.5ish. Now it says 13.8 MPG, and I believe it. Putting the truck in neutral on a very small slope, the truck rolls as expected. In gear (auto trans) and off throttle, the truck behaves as always, so I don't think I have brakes dragging, etc. Lift pump pressure same as always. I have no noticeable black smoke, same as before. Is there a cam/crank position sensor that I may have bumped while working on the truck, and messed up timing? I may put 500-600 highway miles on it tomorrow, will certainly know my MPG more accurately after that trip.

My assumption is that they were the original injectors, so 280,000 miles. I wasn't having any obvious problems, just changed them as a maintenance item.